Digital image capturing devices, like digital still cameras and digital video cameras, store image information digitally rather than or in addition to recording the information on film. Digital image capture typically involves the conversion of incident light or photons into electronic charge with a photoconversion process. Whether marketed to a consumer or a professional user, digital cameras have traditionally relied on Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) sensors to “see” the subject image or scene.
In recent years, Complimentary Metal Oxide Silicon (CMOS) integrated circuits (ICs) sensors have replaced CCD-sensors in entry-level devices. CMOS image sensors usually cost less than CCD image sensors and have facilitated the manufacturing of lower cost and lower power digital cameras. This advancement, along with the increased availability of broadband access to communication networks like the Internet, has helped to create a large market for new multimedia applications and services.
As mentioned above, the migration from analog to digital camera technologies was accelerated by the development of CMOS-based image sensors. A typical CCD image sensor requires specialized processing that is largely incompatible with other logic circuits and the semiconductor manufacturing processes. Additionally, CCD devices tend to have higher voltage and power requirements than CMOS image sensors. This combination of characteristics drives up the manufacturing cost of high resolution CCD sensor as compared with CMOS sensors of similar quality.